Now Showing: Velvet

Velvet
Genre: Thriller
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Lon Charles
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Tatiana Maslany, Tim Robbins, Veronika Vernadskaya, Vladimir Mashkov, Rade Serbedzija

Plot: An engaged couple, Dan Ellis (Robert Pattinson) and Eva Hunt (Tatiana Maslany), take a short vacation from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Dan works as an aid to Eva's father, Walter (Tim Robbins) , the US ambassador to Russia who does not approve of their relationship, although this does not affect the couple's relationship. While in St. Petersburg, the two indulge in many drug and sexual activities, eventually engaging in a drug-fueled threesome with a local model named Nina (Veronika Vernadskaya). The sexual tryst becomes a personal issue when they receive a letter containing pictures of the ménage à trois. Realizing this could ruin their careers, as well as the career of Eva's father, they venture deep into Moscow to find Nina. On their journey, they encounter their blackmailer, Ivan (Rade Serbedzija), the housekeeper of the hotel, who told them about Nina.

Ivan demands a sum of $200,000 for the pictures he took, and takes Eva hostage before running off, though he eventually lets her go. Ivan encounters Dan and the men begin firing at each other, but the blackmailer escapes. Going into his apartment, they find the man shot dead. A police officer, Detective Petrov (Vladimir Mashkov), later contacts them and seems to suspect them of murdering the man. Later on they find Nina dead in her apartment and presume the entire ordeal is over. Just as they begin to celebrate, another mysterious man calls them and demands $1,000,000 in exchange for the pictures, which they agree to pay through Eva's contacts and with the help of Petrov. They arrange to meet at an old warehouse, but they do not see the man when they get there.

Dan tells Eva to stay in the car while he goes looking for the man inside, handing her a gun. After he disappears into the warehouse, Petrov appears at Eva's side of the car and knocks on the window. Eva informs him that the man said there should be no police, but Petrov tells her that if she wants to see Dan leave the building alive, she must let him go. After a while Eva hears gunfire and runs into the building, shooting at an SUV which is exiting the warehouse. She then finds Petrov dead inside. Later the mysterious man calls her again and says he has Dan, and demands a sum of $5,000,000 for his safe return, otherwise he will kill him. She gets her father to help her pay the ransom. The man informs her that Dan is tied up and dying in the basement of a store in Moscow. When Eva arrives, she discovers Dan tied up in the basement, having limited oxygen being fed to him via a mask. She frees him.

Dan and Eva continue their lives together, without any further interference from the man. During the Christmas season, Eva and Dan visit her father again in Moscow. Eva goes shopping in the city, and plans on going for a drink with Dan after. However, Dan calls Eva and informs her he will be working late. Eva decides she will continue shopping and meet Dan at home. When she boards a subway train in the evening, she notices in the train car on the rails next to hers: Ivan, Nina and Petrov. They are smiling as Dan enters the train-car to join them. Eva realizes that they plotted everything to get their hands on the $6,000,000. As the train pulls away, Dan notices that Eva has seen him.